Kollywood to set up formal placement cell for sending candidates to TN politics

*Industry-Institute MoU to be inked soon *Annual recruitment to happen

Chennai, Jan 10: It is well-known that in Tamil Nadu the single biggest supply chain of personnel for politics is the Tamil film world.

Verily, Kollywood has been the IIT-IIM cradle for TN political industry with stellar candidates like M Karunanidhi, MGR, J Jayalalithaa reaching the highest echelon with elan. If politics were automobile industry, then Kodambakkam was its Detroit — some of its iconic models came from there.

But all that is just history. Of late, the recruits from the Kollywood have been uninspiring and insipid. They have difficulty in becoming even the equivalent of middle-level manager in politics. Somebody like Vijayakanth, who aced the placement test with high marks, has just fallen by the wayside. And his startup DMDK looks in far worse shape than, say, Snapdeal.

There are also any number of Kollywood hands who got hired in politics with grandiose dreams, but did not make an impact and faltered even before they got going like the Home Trade company. Names like Bhagyaraj, T Rajendhar readily come to mind.

Anyway, old students like Kamal and Rajini, who have been on the academic side of things for long confining themselves to lecturing from outside, are now showing willingness to become top political executives. There is also the young apprentice Vishal whose political plunge was nixed at the last moment at the placement cell on technical grounds that he had not cleared his ‘arrears papers’ or some such. But he is one who is being looked at with keen interest by the political VCs.

But there is also friction between TN politics and filmdom. Politicians feel most of the candidates from the film world are not politics-ready. The quality of personnel are ‘dubious’ as most of them are ‘raw’ is the oft-heard plaint.

“Take the case of Kamal and Rajini. They have been around for a long time. They have also watched titans like MGR and Karunanidhi from close quarters. But despite these qualifications, they seem to be extremely naive in their political approach,” said a top TN politico who is into talent-spotting. “If old warhorses like Rajini and Kamal are unrealistic, colts like Vishal are over enthusiastic and brazen. This is a worrying trend.

A recent study also painted a grim picture for the future. “From the time of riches in the 80s when Kollywood completely took care of the needs of TN politics, supply off good candidates from filmdom has practically dried up now. The Industry-Institute ties have also hit an all-time low”.

In the event, to ensure fair, consistent and quality supply of personnel from filmdom, TN politics and Kollywood are set to enter into a formal MoU whereby there is a formal setup is in place for placement.

According to the nitty-gritty of the agreement, scooped up by Crank’s News, Kollywood will work out the modalities and set up an annual placement cell soon.

The placement cell, under the direct ambit of the Nadigar Sangam, will, typically, take up all works relating to placing all the right candidates that TN politics can hire for mutual benefit.

“There will be an annual placement drive wherein candidates, desirous of getting into politics, will have to sit for a test and interview. Senior hands from political parties will be at hand to recruit them,” the fine print of the MoU reads.

“Of course, the placement cell will also try and help those candidates wanting to join the political industry by floating their own outfit. The cell will help such candidates in getting finance, preparing industry brochures (pamphlets) and by working on the personal skills of the candidates like public speaking, media interaction”.

From time to time, the placement cell will also organise seminars and lectures from out of work politicians like K Anbazhagan, Panruti Ramachandran, who with their rich experience, can guide young political hopeful from the film industry on what it takes to taste success as a politico.

The placement cell will work round the year but will hold its drive for candidates once a year. depending up on the in take and need, special drives can be organised at around the time of various elections.

The placement cell, it is learnt, is to be headed by, as is the convention these days in the filmdom, Vishal.

Vishal is also one of the top candidates to ge

The placement cell had one final message to the political aspirants: MDMK and its chief Vaiko have been put on blacklist and will not participate in the recruitment drive.

“There can be no better news for us,” said one politico-wannabe in K-wood.